F.A.Q.
If you have any questions that are not included, please fill out our Contact Form or call 1(877)907-6767. Our Office is open from Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM EDT and Friday from 9:00 AM-12 Noon. We are closed on Shabbat.
General Information
How to Register
Payment and Billing
Tuition Payment Schedule
Tests/Evaluations and Grade Reporting
Transcripts
Attendance
Course Cancellation Charges
Class Schedules
Extracurricular Activities
Seminary Transportation and Parking
How to Get Here (Directions)
Student Application Form
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The American Seminary for Contemporary Judaism is a traditional seminary with a contemporary focus which offers courses of study leading to a number of Certificates and Diplomas for work in various aspects of the American Jewish community, including training as a Rabbi, Cantor, Synagogue Executive Director, Educational Director and Youth Activities.
We assist students in developing the necessary academic and professional skills to help them become leaders in the American and World Jewish Community. Our graduates will serve as congregational rabbis, cantors, administrators and educators throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.
The Seminary and its “individual” academies are incorporated as a Jewish Seminary and Yeshiva by the State of New York “to teach and promulgate the principles of Judaism” and “to provide Jewish individuals with a systematic course of study and examinations, leading to their confirmation as Jewish Professional leaders in the American Jewish community”.
For graduates who qualify, the Seminary maintains a professional relationship with a group of associations which oversee placement, under the auspices of the Jewish Ministers Cantors Association, Jewish Professional Educators Assembly, The North American Conference of Rabbis, and Federated Synagogues of America.
The goal of our curriculum is to provide a course of study that will train future leaders, educators, and spiritual leaders of the American Jewish Community.
In order to ensure the instructional integrity of the program it is to the advantage of our students that the Seminary offer the optimal learning experience through their instructors, courses of study and student-experience programming.
Methodology and skills will be taught together with materials covered. This will provide students with the tools to learn on their own and to (peer-) teach each other during their studies. There will be regular class instruction, ongoing workshops and seminars in the methodologies of research, analysis and presentation of information in each of the major components of study, leading to their designated certificates/diplomas.
Empowerment of the Student Population. One of the most effective ways of learning on any level is to encourage the participation and direct involvement of the students in the TOTAL learning process and experience. Students will present to their peers, do projects and participate in the workshops and seminar in their individual and joint courses of study while attending the Seminary.
Early registration is encouraged. Courses with insufficient enrollment will be cancelled at least two (2) weeks prior to the date that classes are scheduled to begin. Please complete the Student Application Form and all related information and return them as quickly as possible.
A non-refundable two hundred dollar ($200.00) Registration Fee must be submitted at the time that a student registers for classes. Upon receipt of your Application and Remittance, a letter will be sent to the applicant confirming his Registration, and will include directions to the Seminary.
NOTE: Registrations received by December 15 (Spring Semester) / August 15 (Fall Semester) will be eligible for a 5% tuition discount. This does NOT apply to the “Cantorial Internship” or any of the other practica or internship years of study under the Seminary Mentor Program.
In Person Payments: We accept American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa, Checks and Money Orders at both of our locations.
Online Payments: We accept American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa online via both PayPal and Google. Electronic Bank Draft is also available through PayPal.
Payments via the Postal Service: We accept American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa, Checks and Money Orders. Simply mail the completed forms and your remittance to:
The American Seminary for Contemporary Judaism
Student Application and Payment Processing
4121 N 10th Street, Box 158
McAllen, Texas 78504
There will be a 7-14 day waiting period on all checks before your account is credited. There is a $30.00 fee per returned item.
Tuition payments for coursework at the Seminary are to be made according to the number of credit-hours the course is given during each semester. The credit-hour rate for all courses offered is $350.00 per credit hour.
Please note that additional charges and fees are NOT covered by the Course Tuition Fee Schedule presented above. Refer to the Student Application Form for additional charge information.
TESTS/EVALUATIONS AND GRADE REPORTING
Tests and various forms of student evaluation of work and concept mastery will be given to the students in the individual course of study, and will reflect the core requirements of study in each of the disciplines that comprise the overall syllabus for the Seminary.
Grade Reports (NOT Official Transcripts) will be mailed to the students who are taking Seminary Courses for Credit.
Students AUDITING Seminary Courses will receive their Letter of Completion within two (2) to three (3) weeks from the completion of the course.
Students requesting Official Transcripts to be sent to other colleges and universities are to do so in writing at a cost of $30.00 per Transcript. Transcripts requested before the completion of a semester of courses will not reflect an accurate record or Grade Point Average for the student.
Full Time attendance to the American Seminary for Contemporary Judaism is based on the student taking twelve (12) or more credits per semester.
Part Time attendance to the Seminary is based on the student taking any number under twelve (12) credits per semester.
Course Cancellation Charges/Refunds are as follows:
Pre-Class Course Cancellation ……… 95% Tuition Refund
Two (2) Weeks Into the Semester ……. 80% Tuition Refund
Four (4) Weeks Into the Semester …… 60% Tuition Refund
NO refunds will be made after the fourth week of class. If you must cancel, you are expected to let the Admissions Office know immediately so that someone else may be able to take your place in that course-slot for the particular semester. Attendance at courses is required for the entire length of the semester.
Classes are scheduled from Monday through Friday on alternating day and evening schedule bases. Each class is between an hour and a half (1 1/2) to two (2) hours. Depending upon the courses a student registers for, he or she may be attending classes along the lines of the following time schedules:
Morning Evening 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Classes that are planned to be of “Limited Enrollment” (Mentor, Seminars, etc.) will show this restriction in the “Course Description”. Students are encouraged to register for these courses as quickly as possible so that they will not be “shut out” at the start of the semester.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
In addition to the course-work students register for, there will also be opportunities for our students to take part in a variety of both in-house and off-campus events and programs during the semester. Event Schedules will be made available to all students at the start of the semester, and attendance and participation in these programs is totally voluntary, unless notified that attendance is mandatory.
The Seminary is located in suburban New York, which also makes it very easy for students to avail themselves of cultural and social events that take place in and around the New York Metropolitan Area.
SEMINARY TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING
Students are asked to park only in those spaces designated for the Seminary. Students are to make sure that they receive a Parking Permit on the first day of classes, and are to place the Permit in the REAR window of their cars. Cars that do NOT have the Permit may be ticketed and, if necessary, towed from the parking area at the owner’s expense.
Directions from NY City (Eastbound)
Southern State Parkway to Meadowbrook Parkway
Exit 22 South on Meadowbrook Parkway to Exit M9 EAST (Merrick Road)
Follow Merrick Road East 2 miles.
There is a 7-11 store on the right, the temple is the next left.
Parking available in the lot in back of the building.
–> Merrick Road and Prospect Avenue
From Long Island (Westbound)
Southern State or Northern State Parkway to Wantagh State Parkway South.
Follow signs to Jones Beach.
Exit at W6 (Merrick Road West).
Turn right driving west on Merrick Road.
Proceed approximately 1 mile.
The Bellmore Post Office is on the right.
The Temple is on the next corner.
Turn right onto Prospect Avenue and enter the parking lot on the left.
–> Prospect Avenue and Merrick Road
Access to the Temple Parking Lot
Turn north onto Prospect Avenue and take an immediate left into the parking lot.
–> When exiting the parking lot, Prospect is one-way and you may only turn left.
To see what courses are currently being offered and/or to apply online, please navigate to our Online Application.
